At the same time, the commotion caused by Subaru here also attracted the attention of some surrounding students who were dining.
Especially the upperclassmen from the second and third years; they all looked over with gazes full of interest.
It was a mindset somewhat similar to military training. Precisely because they had experienced the hardships of military training themselves, when the new batch of juniors began to walk the path they had once walked, they would harbor a mindset of watching the show for amusement.
Clearly, trouble-making events like the one with Daichi Ishizaki were things these upperclassmen had also experienced when they were first years.
Or rather, the first-year stage was the most primitive, most fiercely competitive, and most unscrupulous stage.
There was no need to say much about the third year; basically, the overall situation was already set, so there was little to discuss. Unless there was a heaven-defying class that had a chance to turn the tables at the very end—for example, the classes Sae Chabashira and Chie Hoshinomiya were in back in the day—otherwise, they could just start enjoying their final days.
The intensity of competition in the second year might be higher because it was a critical year, but it was not as primitive and barbaric as the first year. Even when fighting, they knew the moves and had a sense of order.
"Hey!"
"You guy, we just saw you eating alone and looking a bit lonely, so we came over to talk to you, that's all!"
Komiya Kyogo stood beside Daichi Ishizaki, looking at Subaru with some wariness.
As a classmate, Komiya was all too clear about Daichi Ishizaki's combat power. In Year 1, Class C, aside from that mixed-race black student, Albert Yamada, Daichi Ishizaki's combat power belonged to the top tier.
Even Kakeru Ryuen did not subdue Daichi Ishizaki through frontal combat power, but rather through underhanded moves and unscrupulous methods.
Thinking of this, the expression on Komiya's face became even more vigilant. "There are a lot of surveillance cameras here!"
"Even if what we said just now might have been a bit unpleasant, we didn't touch you!"
"You better think clearly about the consequences of making a move on us!"
Subaru had already made his move.
The task assigned by Kakeru Ryuen had already been completed; there was no need to get beaten up just to complete the task more perfectly.
Although, when making the plan, they had considered further escalating the conflict—getting beaten up and then deliberately aggravating the injuries after returning, to further probe the school's rules.
Since one could use personal points to expel a student who had no obvious fault, then... causing very serious physical harm to other students should also be enough to cause expulsion, right?
Even if it couldn't lead to expulsion, consuming a portion of those personal points on Subaru, which were ridiculously high for an individual, would be good. If the personal points on Subaru were not five million, but five hundred thousand, Kakeru Ryuen wouldn't have wanted to make a move on Subaru so quickly.
Five million personal points, if operated properly, put far too much pressure on people.
Furthermore, there were simply too many surveillance cameras here. Even if he really got beaten up, the injuries and such could be determined to some extent, making it very difficult to find an opportunity to set up a trap.
Therefore, Kakeru Ryuen only intended for Daichi Ishizaki and the others to verbally provoke Subaru in the cafeteria. Just to measure Subaru's temperament.
"I didn't make a move."
"I just thought Ishizaki-kun was reaching out to shake hands with me, so I shook hands with Ishizaki-kun, that's all."
Looking at Komiya, who was reacting like a stressed cat, Subaru smiled slightly.
"It's just that Ishizaki-kun might be a bit weak?"
"Moreover, Komiya-kun, didn't you guys block part of the cameras just now?"
Their body positions happened to block the cameras from the left and right, covering more than two-thirds of the angle.
Let alone the fact that Subaru's body didn't make any major movements. Even if Subaru had really given Daichi Ishizaki a blow just now, it would be very difficult to testify against him.
"Subaru, you guy..."
At this moment, Daichi Ishizaki also recovered slightly from the sensation just now.
He stood up from the ground, stumbling slightly, and managed to force a disdainful smile. "Even if the critical scene wasn't captured by surveillance just now, the injury on my wrist can't be fake, right?"
As he spoke, Daichi Ishizaki revealed the wrist that had been held by Subaru just now.
Following Daichi Ishizaki's movement, Komiya and Kondo, who were beside him, both sucked in a breath of cold air. They saw that Daichi Ishizaki's wrist was already somewhat swollen. The entire area of the wrist that Subaru had just pinched was flushed red.
If such a situation were reported to the school, it shouldn't be easily swept under the rug. At the very least, it could make Subaru suffer a small punishment. Even if, in the surveillance, it was their side that initiated the verbal provocation first.
"I have heard about the things you did to Year 1, Class B in the first month."
Hearing Daichi Ishizaki's words, Subaru nodded without denial.
Although Subaru wasn't interested in that matter, the people around him always brought it up. Especially Suzune Horikita, followed by Arisu Sakayanagi.
After Subaru's matter last month was exposed by Arisu Sakayanagi through the forum post, although Suzune Horikita didn't directly accuse him like Haruki Yamauchi did, she discussed it quite a bit.
"It's just that..."
"Ishizaki-kun, you might not have realized one thing."
Subaru took the juice from his set meal and took a sip to moisten his throat.
"The reason Year 1, Class C was able to carry out 'baiting attacks' against Year 1, Class B... this matter itself was not because of how brilliant or exquisite it was, but because it was an unavoidable 'overt stratagem'."
"What do you mean?"
"Even if you personally have a lot of personal points and aren't afraid of these things, or can even consume personal points to avoid the punishment given by the school, the punishment on the class cannot be avoided unless you consume even more personal points."
Daichi Ishizaki frowned upon hearing Subaru's words.
In his perspective, Year 1, Class B had been very flustered when facing his class's attacks. Now that Subaru had made a move on him and relatively obvious injuries had appeared on his body, he had leverage over Subaru.
If he acted now and reported it to the school, Subaru might suffer a small punishment. Not just a personal punishment, but even the class would suffer punishment. A considerable amount of class points would be deducted.
Year 1, Class C was already somewhat familiar with these matters. However, Subaru seemed to have absolutely no psychological pressure right now...
"Ishizaki, you might not have noticed..."
Compared to the somewhat confused Daichi Ishizaki, Komiya, who was standing beside him, realized something. His face changed slightly, and he leaned close to Daichi Ishizaki, whispering, "Year 1, Class D's class points seem to still be zero."
The moment Subaru made a move on Daichi Ishizaki just now, Komiya realized this point.
Year 1, Class D currently had absolutely no class points left.
Under such circumstances, if Year 1, Class C confronted Year 1, Class D head-on—just like Year 1, Class B in the first month of school—then the one to suffer would definitely be Year 1, Class C.
Because Year 1, Class D no longer had any class points.
They were a hedgehog in the absolute sense. The lowest class points could go was zero; they wouldn't drop lower to become negative numbers. Therefore, Year 1, Class C, whose class points had recovered to five hundred after the midterm exams, needed to cherish their feathers.
"Didn't Year 1, Class D have ninety-four class points?"
"How did it become zero again?"
Hearing Komiya's words, a look of disbelief appeared on Daichi Ishizaki's face.
He had originally thought that since Year 1, Class D now had class points, they were no longer the 'barefoot people who aren't afraid of those wearing shoes.' Leveraging the fact that Subaru had just made a move on him, he might even be able to extort a sum of personal points from Subaru.
But he hadn't expected that Year 1, Class D's class points were actually still zero.
Then many of the plans previously customized by Year 1, Class C had no room for implementation.
The school wouldn't investigate whether you were the party deliberately looking for trouble; they operated on results. So in the first month, between Year 1, Class C and Year 1, Class B, it was basically a situation where 'each side gets fifty strokes of the board' (mutual punishment). Ultimately, that was why Year 1, Class C only had a little over four hundred, not quite five hundred class points.
If they hadn't launched baiting attacks on Year 1, Class B, Year 1, Class C's points might have been over six hundred, nearing seven hundred by now.
"It seems it's because that guy named Haruki Yamauchi was expelled from the class."
"As long as an expelled student appears in the class, the class will have three hundred class points deducted."
"So, Year 1, Class D's class points became zero again."
The matter of Subaru expelling Haruki Yamauchi couldn't be hidden at all.
Therefore, the series of changes brought to Year 1, Class D after expelling Haruki Yamauchi naturally couldn't be kept from other classes either. The fact that an expellee appearing in class would cause a deduction of three hundred class points naturally spread as well.
"I was quite happy with this lunch today."
At this time, Subaru also finished the last mouthful of rice, ending his act of eating which hadn't stopped from beginning to end. He stood up and said, "If Ishizaki-kun could be a little more polite, I might be even happier."
"Do not learn from that Yamauchi-classmate who was expelled by me, okay?"
"In that case, I might not be so happy."
Saying this, Subaru waved his hand at the somewhat stunned Daichi Ishizaki and the others.
Not caring about the expressions of Daichi Ishizaki and the others, he simply walked toward the exit of the cafeteria.
Daichi Ishizaki, who realized he had absolutely no way to deal with Subaru, was also somewhat at a loss.
Just now, although Daichi Ishizaki said all that, he was basically trying to bluff. He wanted to intimidate Subaru and extort a sum of personal points from him, that was all.
With so many surveillance cameras in the cafeteria, and since they clearly had the suspicion of actively provoking, even if his wrist had obvious red and swollen marks, it didn't have any persuasive power. And no surveillance camera clearly captured the scene of Subaru making a move.
Even if it was captured, the effect wouldn't be significant, because Subaru's series of movements didn't look like he was using force.
The final result of making a scene would be that both sides would get 'fifty strokes of the board'—Year 1, Class D and Year 1, Class C would both have a sum of class points deducted as a show of punishment.
Daichi Ishizaki just wanted to use the matter of deducting class points to blackmail Subaru.
But now, Year 1, Class D had zero class points essentially. They wouldn't be deducted into negative numbers. If it came down to it, only Year 1, Class C would have class points deducted.
Let alone the high probability that Subaru personally wouldn't be punished.
Even if he really received a small punishment, Daichi Ishizaki estimated that Kakeru Ryuen wouldn't let him off easily.
"Ishizaki, Komiya, what do we do next?"
Kondo looked at Subaru's gradually departing back and asked somewhat awkwardly:
"Just now, that guy Subaru should be considered angered by us... right?"
"Ishizaki, your wrist was pinched swollen by that guy Subaru; it's truly terrifying..."
"I feel like that guy Subaru didn't even use much force..."
Just thinking about the scene earlier, Kondo subconsciously shivered.
As people who fought often, they were very clear that Subaru's posture just now was not suitable for exerting force at all.
Let alone fifty or sixty percent of his strength, even thirty or forty percent might not have been exerted. Looking at Daichi Ishizaki's face, which was as pale as gold paper just now, if he really went all out, Subaru might really be able to snap Daichi Ishizaki's wrist.
He didn't dare to imagine what state they would be beaten into if Subaru really wanted to fight the three of them.
Even without acting, a normal fight would result in them being spun like tops.
"Hiss..."
"That guy Ryuen is even preparing to consider inviting Subaru to a place without surveillance..."
Hearing Komiya's words, Daichi Ishizaki also rubbed his somewhat red and swollen wrist with some emotion, saying, "I feel that even Albert Yamada probably has absolutely no way to compare in wrist strength with Subaru."
"Clearly this guy looks just like that; how does he have such great strength?"
The mixed-race black student, Albert Yamada, was already an existence with terrifying physical quality in Daichi Ishizaki's memory.
As a result, he hadn't expected that the tip of the iceberg casually displayed by Subaru was even more terrifying.
"Forget it. Although it was a bit unexpected, let's go back first."
"There might have been a little accident in the process, but the result is still passable... at least that guy Subaru made a move."
"That guy Ryuen should be relatively satisfied with this result."
Saying this, Daichi Ishizaki didn't plan to continue lingering in the cafeteria.
The embarrassing scene just now had been seen by the people around them; it was better to leave quickly.
It was just that...
'Is it an illusion?'
Daichi Ishizaki's heart was somewhat uneasy.
___
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